Melissa McCarthy Says Drag Was A Big Influence On Her Ursula In ‘The Little Mermaid’ Remake

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Melissa McCarthy is excited to be the villain. The “Bridesmaids” star is playing the iconic Ursula in Disney’s live-action “The Little Mermaid” remake, and she sat down with Entertainment Weekly to talk all about it. READ MORE: Halle Bailey Hugs ‘The Little Mermaid’ Fan In Disney World: ‘She Made Me Cry’ Given that the original animated character was directly inspired by the drag queen Divine, McCarthy said that her take on Ursula is “100 per cent” influenced by drag. “There’s a drag queen that lives in me.

I’m always right on the verge of going full-time with her,” she said. Talking about her attraction to the character, McCarthy explained, “She’s the villain, but there’s such an edge to her.

She’s been put in this lair. It’s like she’s had too many martinis alone. Her friends are eels. That is a woman who has seen it, been in it, dug her way back out.

All my references are terrible, but I kept thinking, ‘Many a Pall Mall has this woman had.'” READ MORE: Chlöe Bailey Was ‘Screaming’ After Seeing Halle Bailey As Ariel In ‘The Little Mermaid’: ‘She’s About To Blow It Out Of The Water’ She added, “To keep the humour and the sadness and the edginess to Ursula is everything I want in a character — and frankly, everything I want in a drag queen.” “The Little Mermaid” is out in theatres May 26.